The Secret Mission to Save Europe’s Jews, with Matti Friedman
The Secret Mission to Save Europe’s Jews, with Matti Friedman  
Podcast: School of War
Published On: Fri May 29 2026
Description: Matti Friedman is an award-winning journalist and columnist at The Free Press. He joins the show to discuss his latest book, Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe. Whom were the Zionist Jews fighting on behalf of the British during World War II? What happened to the legendary Zionist figure Hannah Senesh? And how did a war story without battlefield success help give birth to a nation? 01:45 - The scene in British Mandate Palestine 07:30 - British MI9 unit 07:38 - Jewish military units 08:41 - Rescue missions into Europe 14:21 - Secret meeting in Tel Aviv 17:29 - Palestinian Jews’ view of European Jewry 21:51 - Hannah Senesh 24:46 - Parachuting technology in WWII 26:44 - Sword of Honour trilogy 29:48 - Discrimination against Jewish agents in Europe 32:54 - Chaos at the end of WWII 34:13 - Hannah Senesh’s doomed mission 43:10 - The escape of Hannah’s mother 47:43 - The importance of heroes and myths 49:06 - Understanding Zionism  Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices